Mouthpiece for clarinets and saxophones



D. R. CLARK.

MOUTHPI EGE FOR CLARINETS AND SAXOPHONES. APPLICATION FILED DBL-8,1919-1 ,41 1 ,563. Patented-Apr. 4, 1922.

-. fig. 1. Jga.

a J ,2 I?

g .9 "1/ J4 A a 1 f g r f! fl 5 I 7' 5% g? 7 a :E 5 J L uinn. 16 yummy.9 I Y I Duncan R. E-Iark PATENT OFFICE.

DUNCAN R. CLARK, OF FOREST CITY, IOWA.

MOUTHPIECE FOR CLARINETS AND SAXOIHONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Application filed December 8, 1919. Serial 110,343,170.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, DUNCAN R. Cnnnma citizen of the United States,residing at Forest City, in the county of Winnebago and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mouthpieces forClarinets and Saxophones, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mouthpieces for musical instruments, such asclarinets and Saxophones, and the primary object of the invention is toprovide an improved mouth piece, in which the vibration of the upperwall thereof is reduced, and in which the vibration is prevented frombeing transmitted to the teeth of the musician playing the instrument.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mouth piece for musicalinstruments having an inlay of soft shock absorbing material, so thatthe vibration of the reed will not be transmitted to the teeth of theuser and to permit of a better grip being obtained on the mouth piece,so as to facilitate the playing thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved mouth piecehaving a thickened upper wall, which'will reduce the vibration thereofand permit a larger opening to be made of the front part of themouthpiece where the tones first enter the instrument, thereby makingthe tones more mellow and flute like and preventing the choking orpinching of the same.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved mouthpiece for musical instruments of the above character which is durableand eflicient in use, one that is simple and easy to manufacture, andone which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost. 1

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detaileddescription, taken in connection with the drawings, and in whichdrawings:

-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved mouthpiece, showing theinlay in the upper wall thereof.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section through the same, and

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter A indicates the improved mouth piece having the shockabsorbing pad B.

The mouth piece A includes the usual tubular body 5 having the reducedshank 6 provided with thefriction pad 7.

The upper wall 8 of the body is formed relatively thick, so as toprevent vibration of the same, when the mouth piece is in use. This'wall8 is formed preferably twice as thick as in the ordinary mouth piece, sothat tie shock absorbing pad B may be placed therein and arranged flushwith the outer surface of the wall 8.

The shock absorbing pad B includes a flat body formed of the rubber,cork or other flexible shock absorbing material and has the outer edgesthereof bevelled as at 1 1.

The outer surface of the upper wall 8 is recessed as at 15. The endwalls of the recess 15 are undercut as at 16 for the recep tion of thebevelled ends of the pad. In placing the pad in position, the same isslightly bent or compressed so as to force the bevelled ends thereof inthe undercut walls 16 of the recess 15. If so desired, the walls howevermay be formed smooth and the insert glued into position.

The relatively thick wall 8 not only forms means for permitting a seatto be made for the pad, but also allows the inner upper wall to be cutaway and hollowed at the very front part of the mouthpiece as at 17,which makes a much larger opening at the point where the tones firstenter into the instrument, thus making all tones more mellow and flutelike, and eliminates the pinching or choking of the tones. The thickenedtop wall also makes the mouthpiece more of an even thickness throughout,which causes all tones to resound more evenly, eliminating the vibrationso disagreeable and plainly felt by the upper front teeth of clarinetand saxophone players. This thickness of the mouthpiece allows all tonesto be produced withoutinserting the mouth piece so far into the mouthand bringing the point of the reed nearer the tip of the tongue whichmakes all tongued and staccato notes more clear and distinct, andpermits the body of the instrument to be played closer to the body ofthe player which throws the point of the reed up further which allows astill freer use of the tongue and makes possible double and tripletonguing, as distinct and as clear as on the cornet.

Further the pad 13 absolutely prevents the transmission of anyvibrations from the front teeth of the user, and permits a firm gripbeing obtained on the mouth piece and thus prevents slipping ot themouth piece in the mouth oi. the user.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that an improved mouthpiece has been provided oi exceptionally simple and durable constructionwhich will permit the better playing of the instrument and preventvibration from being transferred to the teeth of the user.

Reed trouble is largely eliminated due to the enlargement of the extremefront or inner upper wall. A much softer reed can be used to obtain theextreme upper tones, which eliminates the hard biting of the upper lipand the harsh tones caused by a stiff reed.

Changes in details may be made Without departing from the spirit of myinvention; but

I claim:

1. A mouth piece for musical instruments including a tubular body havingan inclined upper Wall, said upper Wall being formed thicker than thatportion of the Wall of the body opposite to the same, the inner surfaceof the inclined upper Wall being hollowed out, as and for the purposespecified.

2. A mouth piece for musical instruments comprising a body provided witha recess, the upper and lower Walls of the recess being uinlercut, and aflexible shock absorbing pad fitted in said recess having its upper andlower ends bevelled and fitted under said DUNCAN R. CLARK.

